Bus hits Boston bridge, students touring Harvard injured

Calvary bus struck bridge on Soldiers Field Road

An over-height charter bus full of high school students from Pennsylvania touring Harvard University hit a bridge on Soldier's Field Road Saturday night, injuring 39 passengers – three suffering critical injuries, Boston Fire Department officials said.

Boston firefighters said they needed to remove the roof of the bus to remove injured passengers. Four were trapped on the bus for over an hour.

"What we had to do was get the four people -- cut the roof off the topof the bus to get to the four people trapped inside -- and then with the coordinated effort with EMS, they set up the triage," Ron Harrington, Deputy Boston Fire Chief said.

There were just under 40 passengers on the bus, which a spokesman for the Boston Fire Department said was coming from Harvard and heading back to Pennsylvania.

The bus was heading inbound when the top of the bus caught the bridge, Harrington said. The bus was carrying the high school students along with their adult chaperones.

The most critically injured passengers were taken to Boston Medical Center and Brigham & Women's Hospital. The other injured passengers had injuries that were not life-threatening.

Massachusetts State Police said the height of the bridge was clearly marked, but said the driver, who was not injured, "did not see the warning sign indicating the height of the bridge."

"The driver will likely be cited for an over-height violation," State Police spokesman David Procopio said. "The ongoing investigation will determine whether he faces more serious charges as well."

The students were brought to Boston by the Destined For A Dream Foundation of Bucks County, Penn.

According to the organization's website, its goal is "providing at- risk youth with opportunities that will help them believe that they hold the power to create and shape how they live."

Storrow Drive and Soldier's Field Road were shut down overnight from Western Avenue to Charles Circle to allow emergency vehicles to get through.

MBTA buses were brought in to provide shelter for those passengers not injured.